Trail of texts unveil alleged botched pill sale

By Tanya Mitchell | Nov 29, 2012

Source: File image

Belfast — A Frankfort woman has been arrested on a charge of stealing drugs and a Lincolnville man was summoned for filing a false police report after a police investigation unearthed text messages suggesting that a planned drug deal between the two went sour.

Jessica Kelley, 22, of Frankfort was arrested on a charge of stealing drugs (oxycodone) and 65-year-old Glenn Reed of Lincolnville was summoned on a charge of filing a false report following an incident that allegedly occurred at Hannaford in Belfast Oct. 19.

Belfast Detective Sgt. Bryan Cunningham said the reason the charges against Kelley and Reed were not made public until this week is that he had to wait for cell phone records showing text messages between the two in order to finish his report in the case.

Cunningham said Reed initially filed a complaint with police stating that Kelley stole his medication while the two were at Hannaford. Reed also told police the two had planned to meet up there.

"He reported that Jessica Kelley wanted to meet him at Hannaford, but he claimed to have no idea why," said Cunningham.

Cunningham said Reed told police he walked into the store, patted his pocket and realized his medication was missing. Then Reed reported that he went to his car to see if he had left the medicine there, and that's when he said he saw Kelley in his car taking his bottle of oxycodone.

"He said he tried to chase her down, but he lost her," Cunningham said.

Reed also stated at the time he filed the complaint that Kelley had tried to acquire pills from him on previous occasions, but that he never complied with her requests.

Cunningham said he interviewed Kelley after Reed filed his complaint, but that she denied taking the medication.

Cunningham said he was skeptical about Reed's story, so he obtained a search warrant for Kelley's and Reed's cell phone records. Once he received those records and viewed their contents, Cunningham said, it was clear that Kelley and Reed had planned to meet at the grocery store with the understanding that Reed would sell 25 of his pills to Kelley.

"It was clear to see that was the whole intent," said Cunningham.

When the two arrived at the store as planned, however, Cunningham said, Reed presented the pills but Kelley took them and ran off without paying Reed. Cunningham said Reed then decided to report Kelley to the police because he was angry.